Meade School District to Participate in Rapid Testing Pilot Program

Meade USD 226 has been selected to participate in a Pilot COVID-19 Testing Program by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The district said the program will begin Thursday.

Fifteen-minute, rapid tests will be available for all students and staff who show symptoms of COVID-19. Appointments should be made with the Meade County Health Department (MCHD) for drive through testing. Each school building has an isolation room that the district will use if parents are unable to take their child to the health department. A county nurse will come to the school to complete the testing.

The antigen test is a nose swab test that does not deep into the nasal passages. Although the test has an accuracy of the test is 97.1%, the KDHE will follow-up with a PCR test with a health care provider when the antigen test shows up positive.

Last month, Gov. Laura Kelly said Kansas was allotted 870,000 rapid tests by the federal government, and 50,000 had already arrived. The plan is to deploy the tests to schools, nursing homes and correctional facilities, then other high congregate areas where the virus is at risk of quickly spreading.